Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan vs. Dallas
Ryan threw 54(!) passes Sunday against the Seahawks, for 450 yards and two touchdowns. In a game where they were chasing points, Ryan delivered for fantasy. Now he gets a Dallas Cowboys defense that disappointed in their week one matchup. This game should play out like last weeks game for the Falcons, where they will be chasing points against a good offense.
Vegas has the Over/Under at 52.5, which should bode well for the Matt Ryan’s fantasy finish this week.
Tom Brady vs. Carolina
Even though Brady scored 21.46 fantasy points last week, it feels like a disappointment for the way the game evolved. If he didn’t score his goal-line rushing touchdown on the first drive, he would have finished as the QB22 on the week. But this should be a major bounce back week for the GOAT. He gets to face a young and inexperienced Carolina Panthers defense, which should leave Brady to throw for multiple touchdowns and should eclipse 300 passing yards.
Running Backs
Nyheim Hines vs. Minnesota
Most fantasy analysts are gonna tell you to smash start Jonathan Taylor now that Marlon Mack is done for the year. And while I agree that he is a must start now, don’t forget about Nyheim Hines. Even before Mack got injured, Hines was being used in the red zone, and even scored a rushing touchdown on the first drive of the game. Week one showed us that Philip Rivers will use Hines just as he used Austin Ekeler in Los Angeles. And with Vegas having the Over/Under at 48.5, we should see a positive game script for Hines to get some good fantasy points this week.
Raheem Mostert vs. New York
What impressed me last week wasn’t Mostert’s stat line, but his touches compared to his other two teammates. Mostert had 15 rushing attempts, while Coleman and McKinnon had four and three respectively. His stat-line wasn’t great to me, his receiving yards were skewed a lot by a long touchdown run. But the touch count gives me plenty of optimism for Mosterts outlook against the Jets.
It should be a positive game script for the 49ers, so we should be seeing Mostert get a ton of carries throughout the game. We could easily see a game like we did for him last week.
Wide Receivers
Scotty Miller vs. Carolina
Chris Godwin is now doubtful to play on Sunday while he’s in the concussion protocol. This gives Miller a tremendous opportunity to help out fantasy owners. He was able to score 12.9 fantasy points last week against a great Saints defense. Now he gets a much easier matchup against the Panthers, and should be Brady’s go-to target on third downs. And as he showed last week, he doesn’t need many targets to be a solid fantasy start.
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Las Vegas
With star wide receiver Michael Thomas likely to miss several weeks with a high ankle sprain, it’ll be the next man up for the Saints. That next man is veteran receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who should be a must start in fantasy lineups Monday night. With Thomas not playing, we should Brees look to the veteran Sanders for easy checkdown passes, especially in the red zone.
The Raiders gave up 269 passing yards to a young Panthers team in week one, so I would expect the same numbers for a veteran Saints team. This gives Sanders plenty of opportunity to score, as well as grab plenty of targets.
Tight Ends
Chris Herndon IV vs. San Francisco
Herndon is gonna be the only real option for Sam Darnold on Sunday. Both Jamison Crowder and Le’Veon Bell will be missing this week. That leaves Breshad Perriman and Herndon as the best pass catchers on the field. Herndon should get peppered with targets, and even though I don’t think he will get in the endzone, he will be a solid option in PPR leagues.